Before It All
by delphicave
Summary: The Pre-quel to the Harry Potter series following the Marauders, Lily, the Longbottoms, and Marlene McKinnon. ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO JK ROWLING. I OWN NOTHING. ENJOY!
1. Before it All

ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO JK ROWLING. I OWN NOTHING. ENJOY!


	2. Chapter 1: The potter Heir

"Lily" he murmured. The hoarse and strained tone of his voice filled the empty space surrounding the messy haired boys room. His eyes fluttered for a moment before finally succumbing to the morning light peaking through his dusty old curtains that had probably been apart of this house long before his time on this earth. He peered around the room from his large bed to see a long haired gangly boy half hanging off the deep green couch across the room. "Oi! Sirius! Get up you ol' gnome" he barked tossing a pillow across the room weakly as it landing just shy of the skinny boys head. He awoke with a start and began to yawn "Come on James I was in the middle of a ravishing dream. Could've had quite a happy morning if you didn't have to ruin it" Sirius said scratching his chest as he propped himself up on the couch. James Potter knew his friend was only joking around but it didn't stop him from rolling his eyes as he slipped off the side of his bed and walking toward the lou on the far side of the room. James' room was very large as it was made up of several rooms that had been modified to suit the only child in the Potter estate. James parents, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter were a fun but sensible couple who longed for a large family. However after many years of unsuccessfully producing a child they finally were blessed with James at a very old age, meaning James himself was the next in line to inherit not only a large estate but also a substantial sum of money. "Can't believe we begin our last year at good ol' Hogwarts tomorrow mate. Never thought we'd make it this far if we're being honest" Sirius mused. This was a shocking fact to not just Sirius or James but to their other two friends Remus and Peter. You see while at their first year at the magical school Sirius and James who both had a knack for causing mischief befriended the other two boys their age, Remus, who was tall and skinny with grayish blonde hair. He was not only brilliantly smart but also saw the humor in a few harmless pranks and often can up with the logistics behind each masterminded scheme. Peter was the shortest of the group and also rather pudgy, he wasn't particularly smart or good at pulling pranks but he had given them the upmost loyalty and in return they let Peter stick around for the fun. While at Hogwarts the boys had gotten into a rather long list of questionable offenses including once on the first day of term their 3rd year James set off 12 filibuster fireworks in their transfigurations class to scare their teacher Minerva Mcgonagall who was in her animaus form as a cat. As the term had only officially been in session for three minutes the four friends who called themselves "The Marauders" managed to lose all of their Houses points in record time. One of many facts James kept on hand in case he needed to brag a little. "You're telling me mate" James mumbled as he brushed his teeth. In all reality although James was excited to be back with his best mates at school but, he was looking forward even more to having an excuse to see the girl who had haunted his dreams since he had first set eyes on the fiery red head. Lily Evans was a muggle born girl who lead their year in every subject at school while also having the talent and fierce attitude to back it up. James was in love with Lily and everyone in school knew it thanks to James brilliant idea 5th year to proclaim his love for Lily every time he saw her. By proclaim of course he meant screaming " I LOVE YOU LILY EVANS" from across the hall multiple times a day. As romantic of an idea James thought it was it rather infuriated Lily Evans and resulted in her hexing him, sending him to the hospital wing several times a week. Luckily this year James knew things would be different, namely because by some miracle he had been chosen as Head Boy while Lily was chosen as Head Girl. This meant hours of planning and patrols were to be spent together working side by side. James had enough sense to send Lily an Owl the day after he got the news of his new title with a congratulatory letter and a box of her favorite chocolate frogs. When Lily received the package it had been her misfortune that the owl flew through the window scaring her sister, who as it would happen hated magical life. "How dare you send farm animals through our kitchen window Lily, What if the neighbors saw!" Petunia screeched as the owl perched itself on Lilys knee letting her untie the box. Handing it a bit of crust from her breakfast Lily held it back outside the window watching it fly off to its owner. "Really Petunia you must be kinder to your sister she cant control if or when her school friends sent her a letter, and the neighbors would hardly give two thoughts to a owl now you're just being silly" Mrs. Evans chastised her eldest daughter. Lily opened the package reading over the note before crumpling it and tossing it in the waste basket, eating the Chocolate Frog. Potter was such a kiss up.


	3. Chapter 2: Little Lilt Mudblood

p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"span style="font-kerning: none;"Lily was in London the day before the Hogwarts express would whisk her away to her magical school for her 7th and final year. Lily had first been told of this school at age 11 by none other than Deputy Headmistress Minerva Mcgonagall as she brought her letter in person to explain to Lilys parents that Lily was a bit more special than they had assumed. Explaining that she was in fact a witch and must go to a school that would help her learn how to use her magic for good. It was shocking of course, but also explained why Lily always seemed to get things off the top shelf without a stool or why at age 4 she made an entire toy box explode because her older sister Petunia wouldn't share with her. Lily had gone off her first year unsure but also determined not to let her being muggle born hold her abilities back from being the best witch she could possibly be. This resulted in Lily studying harder and longer than any classmate and making sure she was always at the top of her class. In a way this made her feel like she made up for not being born into the Wizarding World. She had a great childhood but from the moment Mcgonagall stepped into her home her older sister Petunia made sure Lily felt she no longer belonged in the muggle world. Her parents of course loved her and reassured her she always belonged to them, but it didn't make the constant belittling from her elder sister any easier. Being awarded the title Head Girl once again cemented her desire to belong in at least one of her two worlds. As she wandered the streets of Diagon Alley amongst the crowds she window shopped, her parents typically accompanied her on these types of excursions but Tunie as Lily called her elder sister threw a fit about being anywhere near her "Freak" world. In order to keep the peace Lily offered to complete this years shopping alone. Lily had collected her new textbooks covering all of her NEWT level classes which all looked rather thick and comprehensive. She was due for some new robes as Madame Malkin fit her and assisted her in sewing on her new Head Girl badge. After collecting the rest of her list of necessary supplies for the school year ahead she lingered outside the Quality Quidditch Shop as her thoughts drifted to the messy haired Quidditch star that had haunted her existence while at Hogwarts. Lily couldn't deny that James Potter was good looking, his physic resembled that of a Greek Muggle God with his muscles often slightly visible through his white school shirt it was enough to make Lily blush as she bit her bottom lip. But it was his inflated ego and knack for being a show off that agitated her to no end. Memories played through her mind as she remembered his relentless attempts to win her affection which at the time seemed like utter torture to her. She began to debate how to respond to her male counter part, James after all had gotten her a gift for making Head Girl but it was obvious that was just another attempt to win her over so she wouldn't suspect his next childish plot. Realizing how long she had been standing in front of the shop Lily continued to walk the streets pushing the messy haired boy out of her mind. The rest of the day passed by in somewhat of a blur, Lily left the wizarding shopping street to meet her parents, sister Petunia, and Petunias fiancee Vernon who happened to be even more miserable than Petunia for a bit of dinner before returning to the hotel her parents had booked so they could be closer to Kings Cross Station for Lilys departure the following morning. Exiting out of the leaky caldron she made her way back down towards the nicer parts of London finding herself in front of the intended Italian restaurant. Lily had managed to hide her bags underneath her chair as she sat in-between her father and Vernon. Dinner seemed alright except for the 20 minutes or so when Vernon tried once again to describe his newly acquired job for a drill company or something of that sort. Lily tried her best to be polite to the portly man her sister seemed smitten with but he seemed determine to bore them to tears. As Lily climbed into her hotel bed that evening her thoughts swirled in a hectic way mentally checking of tasks in her mind checking and double checking that she had gotten everything on her shopping list before gradually shifting to thoughts of her last train ride from Kings Cross formulated finally into the face of James Potter. The handsome smile began to fill her mind with memories of aggravation masking the thunderous feel of butterflies lying just beneath the surface. Drifting further into sleep Lily rolled to her side exhausted her mind quieted until she slipped peacefully into a dreamless sleep./span/p 


	4. Chapter 3: Coming back Home

The next morning James was awoken early by his mother and quickly pushed to shower up and to eat a quick breakfast before Sirius and himself were accompanied by the Potters to Kings Cross Station. Fleamont was able to arrange a magical car to come and pick the four wizards up at the estate two and a half hours before the Hogwarts Express was to depart, giving them 30 minutes to get the two Marauders settled onto the train. The two hour drive passed fairly quickly as both boys dozed off only a few minutes into the drive but were awoken with a jolt of the car stopping right outside Kings Cross. Grabbing their trunks, owl cages, and school bags filled to the brim with sweets they sauntered through the crowds arriving at the wall directly between platform 9 and 10. Pausing only briefly to exchange a look of mischief the two ran full speed through the magical barrier and right onto platform 9 3/4. Waiting a minute for James' parents to cross through the thresh-hold they loaded their trunks and grabbed their owls to take onto the train. Sirius quickly shook James's fathers hand and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek before turning to load the train. James hugged his parents and was reminded he must not forget to write every week and they would be sure to send a package to him at their earliest connivence. With one last hug from his mother James turned to follow Sirius into the crowded train. Halfway down the third cart they found Remus and Peter had already claimed a large compartment and were setting up a trunk in the middle of the floor for a few games of exploding snaps. "Welcome back mates!" Peter said jumping to his feet to allow the two dark haired boys more room. "Ready for the best year yet boys?" Sirius said laying down a rather large piece of parchment. The three boys looked between each other before diving to collect parchment. Remus was the one who collected it first reading over it before throwing a disapproving glare at his friend. "This is pure madness Padfoot, we cant pull this off at least not without getting expelled." James and Peter picked up the parchment reading it simultaneously "Wicked" they said at the same time looking at the author of the master plan. Before they could discuss the plans too much Remus stood up and reminded James they needed to meet in the Head compartment for the beginning of year meeting with all the prefects and two head students. Remus had been a Prefect alongside Lily since their 5th year and knew how these sorts of things went. Working their way slowly through the crowded halls of the train Remus and James felt the jolt of the train taking off and the cheers from parents on the platform watching their students off to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding.

Lily had been the first one into the Head compartment as she had made sure to meet her best friends Alice Wellings and Marlene McKinnon with plenty of time for them to catch up and find a place to sit. Alice was smart and driven like Lily but in Lily's opinion far more brave than herself. In her first year at Hogwarts a 4th year Slytherin had started picking on Lily because of her bloodline. Without even a proper introduction Alice walked up to the boy and punched him right in the nose and then turned and walked Lily into the 3rd floor girls bathrooms to help her clean her tear stained face creating a sort of sisterly bond. Alice was also taking over Lilys post as Gryffindor Prefect as Lily was now Head Girl. Marlene and Lily had shared a compartment on this very train on their first trip to Hogwarts and had been inseparable especially once they were sorted into the same house. Marlene was short hardly coming to the girls shoulders and barely weighed a hundred pounds, but was quick on her feet which made her a perfect Seeker for the Gryffindor team.. Neither girls would admit it but they had both known for several years Lilys secret admiration for the charming James Potter and they had made it their mission to help their dear friend in coming to this realization for herself. All three 7th year Gryffindor girls had set their stuff in an empty compartment only a few feet away from where the Marauders had set up camp and quickly shuffled Lily off to her meeting. After several minutes Lily had organized all her notes and rehearsed what she would like to say in addressing this years new and old Prefects as well as to her new Head Boy. Not a second later Remus slide the compartment door open with James following close behind. "Hey Lily! I figured you'd beat us here, how was your Summer?" Remus asked with a smile. "Oh it was good, I missed being at the castle though" Lily muttered "Its hard to be around Tunie for that long ya know?" She added. Remus was well aware of Lilys perpetually dreary older sister but offered his upbeat reassurance regardless. "Yes I do believe we all get a little stir crazy by the end of the summer months don't we James?" Remus said offering an easy in to their conversation. "Yeah er- I mean sure if you're not rooming with Sirius" James said flashing the dreamy smile towards his Head Girl. He had been taken back by how even more attractive Lily had seemed to get over two short months. Her skin was tan and spotted with freckles and her red hair was down and flowing which contrasted the usual messy ponytail she sported during her hectic class schedule and strict study regiments. James always knew Lily was beautiful of course but this year she was flirting very closely with perfection. James quickly took the seat across from Lily in the compartment and began pulling out his letter of instruction he had gotten from Professor Dumbledore instructing him on what to accomplish in this first meeting. The professors had drawn out a schedule for nightly patrols that were to be conducted by Prefects and the Head students which would need to be distributed. They were paired off by the houses (the boy and girl prefect from each house and then the two heads were paired together). Upon reading this James heart skipped a beat thinking of all the late night hours he would soon be spending at Lilys side. Secretly he hoped this would be his year, that this year would be the one he finally got Lily to look his way long enough to see he wasn't always so immature. The remainder of the Prefects filed into the compartment including Alice and shortly there after and a round of introductions was given. Lily and James passed out the schedule for first term and Lily reminded them that the first Prefect meeting of the new term would be held the next night in the transfigurations classroom promptly at 8 pm. After a few minutes of chatter Lily dismissed the students to go return to their friends asking each of them to check the halls every so often for any students causing trouble or in need of help. James stood up to follow Remus out of the compartment but was quickly stopped by a nervous voice "Uh James would you mind… sticking around for a second?" Lily asked as her voice quivered for a moment but refused to give up on her. "As Head Boy and Head Girl I think it would be important for us to er- show a united front of sorts. I realize our history is… extensive" Lily had to chose her words carefully before continuing."Regardless I would hate to think you're childish actions in the past would stand in the way of our duties" James had to force himself to cough to muffle the chuckles that were escaping from his lips. Despite James hopes it appeared Lily still was determined to belittle him for having a good time with his best mates. "Well although I agree a united front is what we should put on that would require you to let go of the past and I'm just not sure you're ready fro that Evans… your head might burst from fear of having a bit of fun." Lilys anger bubbled beneath her skin as the self absorbed prat spoke. Being the bigger person Lily swallowed her pride "I guess we both will just have to do our best wont we" she said between clenched teeth. Lily gave a deceiving smile before turning on her heels and headed straight for her compartment. James sat back on the seat inside the prefects compartment exhaling loudly, Lily knew just how to push his buttons.


	5. Chapter 4: Welcome home to Hogwarts

p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"span style="font-kerning: none;"As the Hogwarts Express crept to a stop the levels of excitement seemed to amplify two fold. The sounds of nervous first years could be heard as they scrambled off the train and collected their things and headed off toward the large half giant named Hagrid whose calls echoed across the platform. "First years! First years this way follow me towards the lake, now watch your step!" The 7th Year Gryffindor girls finally reached the platform after helping the underclassmen gather there things and make their way to the carriages managed to find the marauders as the group walked side by side towards the very last carriage ride of their Hogwarts career. The 7 students squeezed into one carriage, James and Lily making sure they would have plenty of space between each other. "So ladies what bring you here tonight?" Sirius said with a wicked smile and a wink you almost could hear in the darkness of the carriage. "Oh get off it Black" Alice said rolling her eyes. "What just because we ain't Longbottom we're no longer worth a laugh huh?" Sirius mused. Alice and Frank Longbottom began a relationship mid way through last year and spent the entire summer visiting each other and making plans for their future. Lily had always like Frank, he was tall and did tend to look a bit of a Muppet but he was always nice enough and treated Alice like a Queen so Lily supported the union fully. "Come off it Sirius she was only having a bit of a laugh" Peter said unsure of how Sirius would react, shifting slightly away from his friend. "So Lily did you end up deciding what profession you're more interested in yet?" Remus said trying lighten the conversation. "I have actually and I'm rather proud of it" she said smiling. Lily for years could not decide between training as an Auror or working for St. Mungo's in their Dark Magic recovery wing. Both had sounded so interesting and yet her heart knew with the changing political climates what she needed to do. "I'm applying for the Auror training program towards the end of the year and hope to go straight into the training program a few weeks after graduation." Each head in the carriage turned to Lily realizing her decision was somewhat of a suicide mission. In recent months the Dark forces had been gradually gaining momentum under the control of a dark wizard named Voldemort. His followers called Death Eaters target Muggle born or as they cruelly refer to them as "Mud Bloods". Lily was in fact a Muggle Born and so putting herself on the front lines was basically putting a giant blinking red target squarely on her back. "Things are getting so bad out there and they are coming for people like me, this is my fight guys." There was a moment of silence before Sirius finally spoke "I think thats bloody brilliant Lily! And you can bet your bottom dollar that us boys will be right by your side." James knew times were changing and Lily was tough but the idea of her putting herself in danger shook him a little more than he would like to admit. The rest of the ride to the castle was pleasant as they exchanged stories from their summer holidays. Marlene had gone to a professional Quidditch Training Camp ran by a few coaches looking for incoming players which all the boys seemed to drool over. As the carriages came to a halt they trudged on through the grass and up the stone steps through the Entrance Hall and into the Great Hall where all 4 long tables and been decked decorated to fit their individual house colors. The Sorting Hat was brought out shortly after the first years arrived looking as nervous as ever. After the sorting Professor Dumbledore stood up to address the students "Hello and Welcome to what I'm sure will be another fantastic year for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding. A few quick reminders before we dish into our delicious meals, firstly the Forrest located on the grounds of Hogwarts is in fact out of bounds for anyone who does not in fact wish to die. Secondly, Mr. Filch would like me to remind you that there are to be no dueling in the halls." It seemed he was speaking directly to the four 7th year Gryffindors who were barely attempting to hold in laughs but managed to pull themselves together for sake of getting to their food faster. "And with that I present to you… THE FEAST!" Within moments the entire table was flooded with giant turkeys, potatoes, pudding, and other sorts of feat like dishes all looking too good to eat. The rest of the evening passed by quickly and without commotion. Dumbledore released the students for bed the Prefects lead them to their respective common rooms and then managed to help the first years find their dormitory. Finally collapsing into her bed that evening Lily took a deep breath and sighed. James had gotten her so riled up during the train ride back o Hogwarts she was sure he and his friends would have thrown some big prank during the feat however now his lack of mischief made Lily even more suspicious of whatever he held up his sleeve. Even with her added suspicion she felt that she couldn't deny the butterflies that seemed to be racking her stomach from the moment she first saw him on the train. Lily had never allowed herself to see James for anything other than a self absorbed trouble maker, she saw how kind and brilliant Remus was, how good natured and loyal Sirius was, even how well meaning Peter was, but James had for the past 6 years been nothing more than trouble. She was far too tired to be stew over her long list of annoyances that James Potter caused, and with that she slid further into her sheets laying her head on her pillow and letting the long days efforts sink her into a deep sleep. Meanwhile in the boys dormitory the Marauders were making their usual ruckus with Sirius jumping from bed to bed yelling loudly at whoever dared to get in his way and occasionally letting a few choice words slip as he'd miss a bed or hit his head on the top of there bed frames. Peter and Remus were sitting on the floor playing an aggressive game of exploding snaps while James leaned against the post of his bed getting lost in thoughts of the train ride and how he would get revenge on the fiery red head. After a few minutes he was caught off guard as Sirius leapt from his own bed tackling James to the ground and trying desperately to pin James. After a few minutes of wrestling Remus had enough sense to break the two apart before they woke the entire tower up. "Remus you daff hippogriff why can't you let us have a bit of fun for once?" Sirius said pouting. "Because you genius I know better than to get us all detention before classes begin thats why" Remus said smugly as he pulled Sirius up off the ground before offering a hand to James. "On that note Moony, what do you boys say to a first day of school prank on the Gryffindor common room"James looked at his friends as each of their eyes lit with excitement."What did you have in mind Prongs?" "I'd say its time to test some of that Gryffindor courage we hear so much about." /span/p 


	6. Chapter 5: Stubbornly Secretive

Lily awoke early the next morning wide awake and much earlier than she had planned. This wasn't uncommon for the young witch as she often found herself far to excited to sleep in on her first day back at her magical school. Creeping into the bathroom and getting ready for the day ahead she took a little extra time combing her hair down and making herself appear as put together as one could. As the school year would creep on she knew her disheveled look would re-appear but at least for now she would try her best to appear worthy of the title head girl. Shuffling down the stairs toward the common room she let her mind go over her schedule as well as what she would need to discuss in the prefect meeting to be held later that night. Suddenly her attention was broken as she heard a noise come from behind her. Whipping around she came face to face with a full sized Lion, his mane was large and his white teeth served as a reminder that Lily was very much in trouble. She reached for her wand sending a stunning spell straight at it. The Lion slowed momentarily but it quickly regained its momentum as it let a loud roar fill the once cozy common room. She began to walk backwards slowly as it stocked her into a corner. Thinking on her feet she sent a case of books flying off the shelves across the room distracting the Lion but not giving Lily much room to move one way or another. The Lion turning back to its prey began to growl and crouch into a defensive position. Soon footsteps of her two best friends were running down the stairs until they saw Lily and began to scream. The girls voices caught the attention of the large mammal as it shifted its weight just long enough for Lily to slip to the side this time sending a full body bind at the Cat, as it began to wiggle trying its best to break free. After a moment the binds snapped and disappeared leaving the now three girls alone with the man killing beast. "What do we do?" Alice cried running to Lilys side raising her wand to mirror Lilys. The Cat made an attempt to pounce on the girls but they jumped out of the way sending the Lion onto an armchair. The claws of the cat ripped the cushions sending feathers into the air and began prowling towards its smallest target. Marlene was still by the foot of the stairs looking terrified, quickly pointing her wand to the direction of the dormitories she cried "Accio Broom!" as her Quidditch broom soared from their room into her tiny hands she took flight giving the Lion something to chase after. Alice ran for a teacher while Marlene lead the Lion to the opposite side of the room Lily sending spells at it attempting to find one powerful enough to stop the large animal long enough. A thought crossed Lily's mind briefly before pointing her wand at her sweater which unraveled and re-rolled itself into a ball. Lily grabbed it and launched it straight at the Cat who turned to see the ball of yarn on the floor, looking back at Marlene who was floating above, and then back to the ball of yarn as it began to pounce on that instead of one of its human toys. Professor Mcgonagall burst through the portrait hall a few minutes later along with Hagrid the games keeper, "What in the world is going on? How did this happen?" the professor questioned the girls. Lily explained her tale of how she was only trying to get an early start on the day and the Lion was here long before she had been there. Mcgonagall put the large cat under a sleeping spell so Hagrid could pick it up and carry it to one of his paddocks. By now student were descending the stairs on their way to breakfast totally unaware of the events that had just concluded. Mcgonagall told the girls she was unsure who would have done this but would look into it before leaving to eat her own breakfast before classes. She may be unsure but Lily knew exactly who was held responsible and he was walking down the stairs looking confused and rather upset. "You are a bigger git than I thought you were" Lily barked across the common room causing several second years to turn before walking out the portrait hall. "Woke up on the wrong side of the bed did we Evans?" Sirius said as he began to walk towards her only to be held back while his best friend took the lead on this fight. "Where is it?" James said looking amused at the group of girls. "You mean your little prank that almost killed us?" "Little Tabby? She wouldn't hurt a fly!" James looked offended putting a hand on his chest. "That bloody freaking Tiger almost killed Lily and it was after me on my BROOM James. Don't you think that could've gone wrong rather fast?" Marlene said knowing she was likely the only one of the three to get the point across. "Well why did you have to drag your broom into this Syb? It doesn't deserve that kind of treatment!" James was actually offended this time. Alice and Marlene rolled their eyes until Lily spoke again. "You are a complete Idiot Potter! Are you so conceded you don't realize how much danger you put us in? Lilys voice began to rise in volume and anger "You can't live your life never being held responsible for your actions for Merlins sake Potter when are you going to grow up?" Remus coughed quietly before stepping forward to ease the tension. "It's obvious we didn't quite think this through enough and we should have we're sorry Lil. But don't you think now more than ever we need a laugh?" Lily looked at him before taking step back and for the second time in two days swallowing her pride for James. "That may be true Remus but lets just make sure we aren't putting a good laugh above someone else's life alright?" Remus nodded and turned shuffling the boys out leaving James to glare a moment longer at Lily before following his friends to breakfast.


	7. Chapter 6: Head Boy and Girl

The rest of the day passed by fairly uneventful and as the 7th year Gryffindors gathered at the long table for Dinner they all looked exhausted. 7th year meant each class was a NEWT level class and that meant each class was more demanding than the next. Settling down over a warm meal they all began to talk about what to expect of the coming months. "Did you see we have to have a 2-foot role of parchment due to Minerva by Friday?!" Sirius was obviously upset that his beloved teacher would put him through anything as demanding as a this. "Forget Transfigurations did you see the list of curses we need to master for Defense against the Darks Arts this year? You'd think we were training for the Auror academy already" Alice said. Lily and James both kept rather quiet but as dinner came to a close James turned to Lily "Would you want to meet a little early for the meeting? 7:15 perhaps?" James eyes were stuck on the edge of her plate as she pushed her Brussel sprouts around the edge. "Yeah I believe that works… We can meet in the common room?" Lilys eyes were equally as stuck on her vegetables. "Hey James! When are we starting practice huh? I've been dying to get on the pitch since before we were out of Kings Cross!" Marlene said rather playfully. Lily knew Marlene saw James as nothing more than a brother but it didn't stop a pang of jealousy from sprouting inside of her. "I was thinking we'd start Saturday, let the thrill of classes ware off before adding the Potter Plan to Success to their work load." James said proud of his rigorous training schedule that had lead his team to win the Quidditch house tournament 3 years running. James had been made team captain as a 4th year which was rather young but James demanded respect and attention in everything he did so becoming captain had been no different. With Marlene as seeker, Sirius as a beater, and himself as a chaser he knew there was hardly another house team that stood a chance. Truth was each one of the three could play professionally if they so desired but with the war going on James and Sirius had a hard time pursuing something as trivial as Quidditch when there were people dying for a cause they believed in. "I cant wait to beat those Ravenclaw's silly in a few weeks" Sirius said pretending to swing is bat. "Don't let yourself get to cocky Padfoot, lets not have a repeat of lat year shall we?" the group was laughing at Remus's words reflecting on last years attempt to take on Ravenclaw. Last year while playing Sirius had been flirting with a Chaser during the game and got so turned around in pursuit he shot a blunger right through his own hoop. Luckily Marlene was able to catch the snitch only moments later finalizing the win but not one of them would let Sirius live that moment down. They all laughed as they stood up to head to the dormitories to get some studying in before Lily, James, Remus, and Alice all left for the Prefects meeting. That night also signified the first night of patrol which meant form 9-11 James and Lily would be walking the halls of Hogwarts alone looking for any stragglers who were out past curfew.

At 7:00 Lily was up in her dorm room brushing her hair while simultaneously re-reading her Transfigurations paper to ensure it was her best work. After making a few minor changes she looked at the clock to see it was 7:10 and promptly slipped her shoes back on looking herself over in the mirror once last time before leaving her room and descending into the common room to find all four Marauders squeezed on the old faded red couch in front of the fireplace talking loudly about some Quidditch match that must have just finished because an old radio was sitting on the ground in front of them. "Hey Lily!" A third year girl waved at her as she reached the final few steps of the staircase. "Oh hello Mary! How was your first day?" Lily replied kindly. She loved talking to the underclassmen making sure they felt at home here. Remembering as a first year being so scared of so much in the castle it helped to confide in the older kids sometimes. "Yeah it was good… I still am getting lost though… I can't seem to find the Divinations classroom." Lily chuckled remember having the same problem as a third year. "Well remind me next time you have that class and I'll be sure to show you where its at deal?" "That would be great! Thanks Lily you're the best!" Mary skipped up the stairs as Lily stepped down the next few steps to catch James starring at her shamelessly. James had been in the middle of a big debate between Remus and Peter who had the misfortune of thinking the Chudley Cannons would beat the Holyhead Harpies which was absolute rubbish when he heard footsteps coming down the girls staircase. He turned to see Lily looking flawless, her hair was straight and her face seemed a little flushed which probably meant she had just finished concentrating on her homework. James was just about to rise to go meet her when a younger girl started talking to Lily. James didn't know what they were talking about but watching her was captivating, until she looked right at him. Looking away awkwardly he panicked. "Hey boys, how was the game?" Lily asked smiling. "Complete Rubbish if you ask me!" Peter said as he collapsed on the floor next to an old armchair. "It was brilliant Evans you really missed out on this one!" Sirius said jumping to his feet and offering his seat besides James. "Actually Sirius we should get going" James said standing to his feet. Lily had never realized how much taller James was than her, as he stood next to her he appeared to be at least a head taller than her. "Yes well.. we best be off, see you later boys!" Lily called over her shoulder as the two walked toward the portrait and climbed out the other side. The two walked in silence towards Professor McGonagall's room where the meeting was to be held. Once there they discussed announcing the weekend of the Hogsmeade trip and having each prefect leave a notice in all of the common rooms so students would have enough of a heads up. They wanted to talk again about the possibility of throwing a ball the night before they were scheduled to leave for Christmas break which James had suggested assigning different tasks to make sure the details came together as quickly as possible. Before too long the rest of the Prefects arrived and James and Lily conducted the meeting with Professor McGonagall there to answer any questions. "I think the ball would be a lovely idea Ms. Evans I'll of course have to run it by the headmaster but he is never one to turn down a chance to celebrate" "Actually Professor it was James idea, but I agree it would be very lovely indeed" Lily said shifting her gaze slightly as to not seem too eager at the mention of her male counterpart. The meeting ended with James handing out various assignments related to the ball and patrol before dismissing them back to their Common Rooms. Since Lily and James had patrol that night they left straight from the Transfigurations classroom to roam the halls looking for students out of bed. The first few minutes passed without a word and it was starting to kill James until Lily broke the silence. "You did great tonight, for your first real meeting you seemed really confident." "Thanks, I guess being Quidditch captain helped a bit, you have to have a stern hand sometimes ya know?" James was nervous again which was odd for him but when it came to Lily he learned that none of his typical rules applied. Lily was going to respond when she saw something ahead "Hey you there!" there was wrestling behind a tapestry that appears to be two students attempting to conceal themselves. As they got closer James muttered "Lumos" under his breath and Bellatrix Black was standing there nearly naked with her skirt halfway up her torso leaving very little covered while her white shirt was completely unbuttoned leaving her underclothes exposed. Rodolphus Lestrange stood slightly in front of her refusing to attempt to cover himself as well obviously baring no shame in what they were attempting to do. Lily was shocked, she blushed a bright shade of red before James took charge. "Oh that is disgusting you two half wits were trying to… Oh I'm going to be sick. Bella please attempt to cover your self for the love of Merlin." Both Slytherin were glaring and still making no attempt to hide themselves. "Thats it 50 points from Slytherin EACH for being vulgar and brainless to think you wouldn't get caught out here." James proceeded to light the torches down the hallway brining a very unwelcome light to the situation. "Well look who is all great and pure its Mr. Potter" Bellatrix sneered finally pulling her skirt down but leaving her top as it was. Rodolphus made an attempt to pull his wand out on James but Lily acted quickly putting him in a body binding curse. Was Rodolphus really that stupid? He thought he could catch James Potter off guard? It was no secret that James was one of the most talented wizards their year and Lily suddenly felt very protective of her Head Boy."Mr. Lestrange I hope you really weren't attempting to curse your Head Boy, heaven knows we are willing to let this lapse in judgment and moral standard slip but if you pulled your wand on James here… Well we'd just have to go straight to Professor Dumbledore wouldn't we James?" James couldn't believe his eyes. "Yes Ms. Evans I do believe that is correct" he said trying to hide the tone of surprise in his voice. Lily released Lestrange as the two Slytherins ran back to their common rooms somewhere in the depths of the dungeons. "Geez Lily way to be a right smart ass, I have to admit I didn't quite expect that from you" still failing to hide the growing smile on his face. Lily herself had been a little surprised by how much sass had come from her lips but she was enjoying the gain of confidence. "Potter you don't know a thing about me" she said throwing him a mischievous smile that made a shiver run up and down James spine. Lily and James continued their patrol which ended up being very uneventful and at 11:00 were standing in front of the portrait of the fat lady. "I think I'd call that a very successful first patrol of the year wouldn't you say Potter?" Lily's eyes were dancing with playfulness as she spoke and it was driving James mad. "Yes Evan's I do in fact consider this to be very successful" "Shall we go inside?" Lily asked turning for the fat lady but James quickly grabbed her arm to stop her. "Lily wait…" James began to run his fingers through his hair as the red headed girl looked at him quizzically. "I just wanted to say that you… um… you looked really nice today. Someone who looks that beautiful deserves to be told." James finished staring intently at his feet. A blush spread across Lilys face as she heard the words cross James lips. James was so kind despite the fact he seemed to be in a constant state of self inflation. "Oh… Thank you James that's very kind. Y-You looked very handsome today as well" she finished as the blush deepened. James smiled down at her watching her fidget nervously, he took a step towards her and watched her tensen up. He took her face in his hand and she slowly looked up into his brown eyes. "Keep this up Evans and I wont be able to stop myself from falling for you." Lilys heart skipped a beat as she starred up at him wordlessly. After a moment James turned to the portrait and climbed through and she followed.


	8. Chapter 7: A Doe and a Stag

The rest of the 7th years were huddled in the corner of the Gryffindor common room playing a game of exploding snaps when they heard the portrait door swing open seeing James and Lily walk through. Sirius threw his last card down as the deck exploded and bounded over to James to discuss some new idea he had thought up while Lily went to sit next to the girls resting her head on Alice's shoulder while Marlene sat on her knees in front of them like an excited puppy. "I think we better be getting to bed" Alice announced leading the girls toward the staircase. Marlene turned wishing the boys goodnight before bounding up the stairs two at a time while Alice took a more practical pace up the stairs. Lily walked behind her pausing at the first step turning to the boys and wishing them goodnight but only looking to one of them. She let a soft smile breach her lips before turning and ascending the stairs behind her two best friends. James eyes followed her up the stairs until she was out of sight and heard remus cough loudly. This seemed to snap James out of whatever trance he was in as he remembered the events of tonight. "Oh mates you wont believe what we found!" James continued "We found Lestrange and Bella damn near nude in the hallway attempting to pro-create some sort of evil spawn!" He said looking directly at Sirius whose cousin Bella had long since been his least favorite topic. "Prongs come on! Why did I need that picture in my head." Sirius fell back on the couch covering his eyes with the pillow, "No that's not even the best part James said leaping in front of the fireplace prepared to tell a captivating tale. James proceeded to recount how Lily had turned into a smart ass in front of his very own eyes and how the night ended outside the portrait hall. Each boy sat listening intently but were rather disappointed old Progsie couldn't manage to win over the foxy girl. Meanwhile up in the girls bedroom all three friends had been sitting on Lilys bed as she recounted her side of the events. Finally looking at her roommates "He is a foul git ya know? This morning I was ready to go straight to Mcgonagall and turn them in, I almost did but then he acts like he did after potions and he throws me for a loop" Lily said. "He is quiet a flopper aint he…" Marlene said replaying todays events and thinking back to all the times she had sat with James listening to him go on about her friend. Marlene had once held a secret affection for her Quidditch captain as well but it didn't take long before she realized who the real catch was. For years she herself had wanted to earn the affection of Sirius but to no avail he was too preoccupied pranking the school with his friends. James on the other hand was utterly devoted to Lily, despite a few snogs he had remained determined to win the girl over and Marlene admired him for that. The girls all sat up talking and at some point late into the night they all dozed off. Friday morning the girls were jerked awake by the alarm clocks perched on their bedside tables. "Oh Merlin what time is it?" Alice questioned rubbing her eyes as she slipped off the side of the bed walking towards the bathrooms. Lily was groggily waking up and Marlene was refusing to accept that morning had come retreating to her own bed and hiding beneath the blankets. Once the other two girls were dressed they dragged Marlene out forcing her to brush her teeth while Lily did her hair and Alice pulled a uniform together locating Marlene's shoes from a pillowcase deciding it was better not to ask. The three girls ran down the stairs skipping the last few steps all together making their way to the Great Hall for one of the faster meals they had enjoyed while at school. The boys looked confused as the girls scarfed food almost as aggressively as Sirius but were distracted for a brief moment as the post arrived brining news from home and despairing reports of more attacks on muggle borns via the daily prophet. Lily chose not to read those articles as she believed living in fear was hardly a life at all. Instead she turned to her letters from her mum wishing her another great term and news that Tunie was going dress shopping the weekend after next and asking for dress measurement for her own bridesmaids dress. Shoving the letter into her school bag and grabbing a piece of toast for the road Lily and the rest of the gang headed towards Care of magical Creatures. James found his way to Lily's side although silent they stole glances at each other while walking the small foot path to Hagrids Hut. 7th years were not required to take Care of Magical Creatures however the group loved spending time with Hagrid as he wasn't much older than themselves and often let them have a say in what they wanted to learn about. As they approached the hut they saw their half giant friend standing there with a hippogriff. Sirius bounded towards Hagrid with Peter at his heels, Sirius had a thing for Hippogriff's which explained why Hagrid knew this would be a safe first lesson of the year for this group. The class was made up of the 7 Gryffindors and a few Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, by this time no Slytherin chose to stick around but that was for the best. Hagrid gave a loud cough to show class was about to begin "alright you lot welcome to your last year of Hogwarts, seeing as how you have enough to worry about with your NEWT classes I figured I'd help you all out a little and focus on hands on learning instead of all that circular none-sense. I wont be assigning any homework we will just be getting hands on experience with the creatures we care for here." There was an audible sigh of relief as it was obvious this year would be the most demanding yet and stress was beginning to creep back into their lives. The rest of the class was made up of everyone taking turns throwing treats to the hippogriff while the rest either sun tanned or talked amongst themselves. Remus and James took to talking with Hagrid while Sirius and Peter were . The Girls chatted away allowing the sun to pour over their exposed legs "What should we do this weekend? I was thinking a trip to the lake would be a nice idea… you know we haven't been there for ages" Alice asked hoping her friends would agree. "I'm happy to go after practice, James has us up before the crack of dawn for his damn Potter Plan to who knows why." Alice and Lily laughed but came to the conclusion an afternoon by the lake would be a perfect end to the first week of classes. Following Care of Magical Creatures the class headed to Charms class where they were met by Professor Flitwick. "Hello class!" his high pitched voice rang out across the NEWT level 7th years. "Today although our first day will not be our easiest day. You see today we are going to work on producing your Patronus Charm and we will continue to work on it for the next few classes until it is clear we can all produce a full body Patronus." There were murmurs in the class as they all discussed finally learning how to defend themselves from the dementors that often ran rapid in Death Eater attacks. The first part of class was filled with Professor Flitwick talking of the theory and use of a Patronus. "As well as being a defense against dementors a Patronus can also be used as a communication device between wizards. Now if we all could move around the room we will begin practicing, remember you must think of the most powerful memory you have a use that to fuel your Patronus by saying "Expecto Patronum". The class spread out across the classroom all preparing their first attempts at a Patronus charm. Lily slipped back into a corner with her best friends as she racked her brain for the happiest memory she could think of. The first of when her father had taken Her and Tunie to a carnival and he had let her ride on his shoulders. It had been ages since her father had done anything with them. When Lily was 13 her father had began deteriorating, he was much to stubborn to ask for help or heaven forbid see a doctor but in the last 5 years he had aged 20 years. The memory of him being healthy and energetic in the ways Lily remembered her childhood were what filled her hopes for the future. After a few attempts and no results she decided to try a different memory. She stood for a moment in the corner watching her friends try several times to produce the charm while memories filtered through her mind until one ignited inside of her. Alice, Marlene, and herself were spread out under a tree in the courtyard when the boys had surprised them by sending dozens of magical water balloons their way. The girls had screamed and ran for the lake to produce their own sort of water balloons to laugh back in response, the rest of the day was spent chasing each other around the grounds and ended all huddled by the fireplace laughing thinking never in a million years would that moment come to end. Smiling at the thought of her friends and the magic world she was now apart of she focused everything she had on that moment letting it fill her up entirely. Alice and Marlene laughing as they bounded down the stairs, Peter offering Lily the last biscuit at breakfast, hours of studying at Remus's side, even Sirius flirting unashamed, and finally James settled at he fore front before raising her wand and speaking "Expecto Patronum." At the very moment the words left her lips a burst of white light came from the tip of her wand slowly forming into the shape of a doe. It bounced around the room several times circling Lily before escaping out the classroom window and disappearing from sight. The class looked in her direction for moment before Professor congratulated her on the results "Very well done Ms. Evans! No surprise you are always so talents with Charms!" before turning and encouraging the rest of the class to keep working. Sirius, Remus, and Alice had all produced their Patronus' by the end of class however Lily was a little surprised by the fact James hadn't. Not letting herself get distracted she pushed this out of her mind as she left the Class room and headed down for Lunch.

That night the 7th years had huddled together again this time working on getting their homework done attempting to finish as much as they could before the weekend activities began the next morning. Before they knew it they found themselves alone as the late hours of the night began to creep in. Remus and Alice who had been on patrol duty that night were the first to retreat to their respective rooms feeling especially exhausted. Peter and Sirius retreated with the mention of some secret plan a little while later which also prompted Alice to make up an excuse as to leave Lily and James alone in the Common Room. It took Lily a few moments to realize they were actually alone as she continued to truck ahead on her reading. Finally giving in to the weight of her eyelids she closed her book to find James looking out the window deep in thought. "Whats going through your mind James? Nothing that breaks too many rules I hope" Lily said trying to pull the boy back down to earth. "It's pretty cool your Patronus is a Doe Lil…" She was a little taken back by the change in subject, or perhaps it wasn't a change at all. For the remainder of the day all James could think about was the fact Lily's Patronus was a Doe. James had mastered his Patronus back in 4th year shortly before mastering his Animagi which both coincidently had been a Stag. When Lily was able to produce her Patronus James didn't know how to react, at first he had wanted to instantly set his off but feared it would embarrass her. "Oh… Thank you James, but don't worry you'll get yours soon I'm sure of it" Lily said figuring he was just jealous he hadn't been able to produce one during class. He chuckled which made her look at him questioning the reaction. "I actually already produced one, I first produced mine back in 4th year to be honest with you" his mischievous grin was now prominently showing as he reflected the Marauders successful attempts to become illegal animagi. "Well why didn't you show it in class?" Lily was confused as James never passed up an opportunity to show off, surely he would have loved to brag about his advanced abilities. "Well I wanted to hold off for a moment because as it happens I was able to produce a patronus under a rather questionable situation but when you produced yours well…" and with a flick of his wand a bright light shot out of the end of his wand producing a full grown Stag that stood there before running around the room slowing circling to the high tower window and disappearing from sight just as hers had done. Lily gasped seeing it and followed it to the wall before turning to James. His eyes had stayed glued on Lily waiting for any sign of reaction as she turned to face him his muscles in his shoulders tightened slightly out of pure anxiety. "I didn't want to embarrass you" he said with his eyes locked in on Lilys. "Thats incredible…" Lily whispered in the deserted room looking into his Brown eyes thinking through her next move. Sliding over to get closer to her James ran his fingers through his hair trying his best to stay calm. He looked into her bright green eyes searching for the consent to make another move. Lily dropped her gaze, looking to the side of her and out the frosted window that overlooked the forrest. "I should probably be getting to bed, we have practice tomorrow a bit early" James said rising to his feet nervously knowing Lily was not comfortable anymore he ran his hand through his messy hair. Lily rose feeling a bit unsure of how to react to the situation she had found herself in. "Yes well I should probably get a bit of sleep as well.. Th-Thank you James, for showing me." Lily said finally meeting his gaze. James looked at her with only the moonlight shining through the cathedral window to light the room making her even more enchanting. Before he could think too much about it he leaned down and kissed Lily on cheek feeling an aftershock of electricity hit him he turned and proceeded up the boys dormitory stairs.


	9. Chapter 8: The War will rage on

Lily tossed and turned all night allowing the same questions to run through her mind. Why would James do that? We can hardly stand each other most days what was he thinking? Why are our patronus's so similar? When she did finally find sleep it was filled with James and the moment they had shared. Each moment was the same electric shock that she had experienced feeling his lips brush her cheek. After several hours of unrestful sleep she succumb to the sunlight filling their room and dressed in her jeans and a yellow shirt. Knowing Marlene would be at Quidditch already and Alice would like to sleep in as much as possible Lily made her way to the Great Hall for a quiet breakfast. Finding a seat towards the middle she dished herself a bowl of porridge and orange juice before Remus slid in next to her. "Morning Lil, sleep good?" The Lycanthropy ridden boy asked reaching for a stack of pancakes in the middle of the table. Lily had figured out Remus had a very large secret to keep last year after chasing the boys to the whomping willow to figure out why the four Marauders were always disappearing. Sirius was the one to catch her in the tunnels after Remus had changed, she only got a small glimpse of the boy turned werewolf but it was enough to show Lily he had the potential to be very dangerous . She never dare tell Remus she felt that way of course they had spent too many hours studying and bonding over both their studious personalities, she loved the boy and all of his furry little problems. "I suppose" Lily said not sure if the questions haunting her were appropriate to ask of a boy whose best friend had caused them. "Obviously not" the boy chuckled turning to face his friend. "Anything specific you'd like to talk to get off your chest?" Remus didn't let it show but he was pretty sure he knew exactly what kept her up so late. "It's just… It's very silly to be honest. James showed me his patronus last night which shocked me because they were similar, you know his is a Stag?" Remus nodded knowing his friend wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation to share this revelation he had discovered while in Charms class the day before. "Well I was surprised for obvious reasons, but then James kissed me before heading up to bed. Only on the cheek of course which for him I'm sure isn't a big deal at all I mean he is James Potter after all, but for me…" Lily trailed off trying to calm herself enough to attempt to think logically. This portion of news did surprise Remus, his friend had been in love with Lily for ages but had never been close enough to kiss her. "So you felt surprised and… offended?" Remus said hoping he hadn't just pointed her towards another emotional outburst towards his mate. "No… I mean maybe… actually no I'm not offended, I am just surprised about the patrons and perhaps a little curious why something so personal would be that similar but the kiss… It was just confusing." Lily looked toward Remus for some sort of advice or words of wisdom but not before they were interrupted by Sirius, Marlene, and James arriving at the table covered with sweat from their morning Quidditch practice. Sirius had made a grand entrance by yelling across the Great Hall complimenting Professor Mcgonagall on her dress robes which was quickly met by a glare and 5 points form Gryffindor. The table groaned but Sirius only smiled wide and sat down next to his best friends. "Off to great start aren't we?" Remus mused somewhat annoyed with Sirius's need for crossing the line. "Cant help but fall for that women… she's absolutely wicked" Sirius said ripping a bite from his toast. "Hey Lil, were you okay you tossed and turned all OUCH-" Lily had elbowed Marlene straight in the ribs causing her to yelp before shooting daggers straight at her red headed friend. "Yes I am fine Syb must have been a dream or something." The last thing she needed was for James to know he had effected her in some way, his ego was large enough already. Jame had in fact caught Marlene's question and his face suddenly got hot thinking that Lily may have enjoyed their short moment as much as he had. James had been so wound up he actually snuck out of the tower shortly there after and walked the grounds under the disguise of his invisibility cloak until the early hours of the morning. "So James how is the team looking? Another house cup in our future?" Remus said coming to the aid of both of his friends. "Huh? Oh yes we're going to be really competitive this year. I doubt there is a team that can put up a fight. Marlene was brilliant she's looking even better than last year, headed straight for the league that girl ." Marlene blushed "Bullock Potter I am just doing my job. My mum wrote to saying a few scouts are going to be coming to have a look so I just have to do my best to prepare for that wont I?" Everyone was really impressed by this piece of information. Marlene was taking all the classes to become an Auror with her friends but they knew her passion for the game may change her career path at least for awhile. The post arrived shortly after and the group fell silent reading over the days headlines.

38 MUGGLE BORN WITCHES AND WIZARDS KILLED

38 Witches and Wizards were Killed last night after being forced to appearate into Diagon Alley and sentenced to death by Death Eaters. Ministry Auror's were dispatched immediately but upon their arrive the remaining muggle borns were killed instantly and the Death Eaters disappeared leaving no leads or survivors. The Minister of Magic Dorthy Flagelbash was not available for comment but her office assures us the continued search for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named head quarters and his followers is their top priority.

Lily put the paper down suddenly feeling very unwell, got up from the table and walked toward Gryffindor Tower. James rose to follow her but Remus grabbed the back of his Quidditch robes pulling him back down to the bench "Dont" he muttered. James shot him a glare but did not protest. "It's getting worse" Sirius said with a new sort of fire in his eyes. "These idiots are going to pay, just wait until we get our hands on them." "By we does that include Lily? Because you know she's going to be right next to us fighting, putting her life in even more danger" Alice had arrived sitting down next to Sirius who began to calm down thinking of little red. Lily had always been a voice of reason for him, what would he do if she was ever not there to tell him to think before he acts or remind him he was nothing like the rest of his family? He shivered at the thought of losing her. "She is strong though, and has never backed down from a challenged, we may not like it but she's going into this war with every intention of fighting whether we want her to or not." Remus said looking at James who had been silent since Lily had left. No one got it, he had loved Lily for years in a way none of his friends had ever understood. Last night was his first glimpse of what this dream could be like and in a few short months Lily would leave Hogwarts and walk into a war zone that was targeting people just like her, he wasn't going to lose her. Standing from the table he told his friends he was off to shower which was a partial truth, because after his shower he slipped his clothes on throwing his Invisibility Cloak over him and going down the stair passing the common room and going exactly two and half floors lower he stopped at a portrait of a witch and wizard dueling. The two people in the portrait looked at him for a moment before James whispered "Aloehamora" opening the hidden door way to the passageway that ran from the boys dormitory to the girls side. This was the only passageway James hadn't told his friends about, simply because James had too much respect for women to submit them to Sirius Black leaking about their dormitory.

Lily had gone straight for her room filling sick and emotional all at the same time. She headed straight for the showers undressing and letting the warm water wash over her as a few tears broke free. She wasn't scared reading all the articles she was angry, angry that once again she felt like she didn't belong in a world she had never asked to be apart of but non the less was thrown into. She wasn't a muggle and now Voldemort was trying to tell her she wasn't a wizard either. Swallowing her emotions she left the showers and redressed herself deciding that now was as good a time as ever to respond to her mom.

Dear Mum,

Yes things here at Hogwarts are going great. Classes have been very informative and although increasing in difficulty I only find myself that much more motivated to work hard. I do wish you luck in finding Tunie a dress, I'd hate to imagine what she's like if she is actually displeased with a dress. Either way I am very excited for her and look forward to hearing all about the dress.

Love Always,

Lilly

She added her dress measurements to the bottom of the letter and folded it into an envelope making a mental note to take the letter to the owlry at some point that weekend. Not feeling up to leaving her room just yet she laid back on her bed turning to face the door, and thats when she saw it.


	10. Chapter 9: The Days are Numbered

p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"span style="font-kerning: none;"James had slid into the 7th year girls dormitories and sat in the corner waiting for Lily to get dressed from the shower. As she made her way to her bed and began to write a letter James hadn't wanted to interrupt he leaned against the door frame. Putting her quill down James quietly removed his cloak and waited for her to notice. Slowly she laid back and turned towards to door suddenly gasping and jumping to her feet "What the bloody hell are you doing here Potter?!" "Calm down Evans, I wanted to make sure you were okay… you worried me at breakfast." "Well how did you get up here? The stairs… they aren't suppose to let you up here!" "I didn't take the stairs" James said taking a step towards Lily "and before you ask I'm not going to tell you how I got here because it doesn't matter, I'm here and thats that." Lily opened her mouth to fight it but couldn't find the words as James took a seat next to her on the bed. "James Potter if you're caught up here I swear to you I'll kill you." Lily was not going to let her spotless reputation get tarnished because fearless James Potter figured out how to sneak into the girls dormitories. "Lily we wont get caught trust me" "How can you be so sure" James exhaled annoyed that Lily would be this much of a worrier. Throwing the invisibility cloak over himself he heard Lily gasp then slowly reach for him. Thinking quick he dodged her hand, standing up and taking a step back, as Lily reached further and standing up letting a smile break her lips. "James stop moving where are you!" Lily giggled which made James heart start to beat a little quicker. "Gotta catch me first Evans" James said now jumping on what he assumed to be Marlene's bed which was unmade and surrounded by posters of women's Quidditch players. James was starting to laugh to until Lily dove for his legs knocking him back onto the bed they both began to laugh as she pulled the cloak from his face laying slightly onto of him. "So this is the allusive Invisibility Cloak I've heard all about?" Lily said remembering Remus tell her stories of the four boys sneaking out under the cover of the cloak on multiple occasions. "Hey be careful with her! She's very delicate!" James said stroking the cloak gently. Lily laughed and rolled off the bed as James straightened his glasses and sat up. "You're alright then?" James looked at her with an expression that made Lily squirm with a sudden burst of butterflies, "I'm fine Potter you don't need to look after me." "I know I don't have to, but you know I'd like to" James this time was the once that felt the butterflies, "Are you scared?" he said wanting to hear to honest answer. "No, I'm not scared I stopped being scared of Voldemort long before now. I wasn't born into this world like you were James so I don't take it for granted, and if Voldemort wants to kill people like me for reasons out of our control, well.. then I need to do everything I can to fight for what I believe in. I'm not scared I'm just ready to fight despite the price I may pay." Lily was calm when she spoke but flashing her sad smile wasn't fooling James who sat there looking at the red headed girl realizing how incredible she was. Noticing the hidden sadness James knew what he needed to do, rising from the bed "Our friend went down to the lake, would you like to go join them?" "Yes I think that sounds lovely" Lily said putting aside her emotions to go and enjoy the Saturday she had been planning on all week. As James threw his cloak on he told her to meet her in the common room in five minutes and they could walk down together. After putting her letter in her cloak to send to her mother she grabbed her wand and slipped down the stairs and sat down in an air chair waiting for her friend. After a minute or two James came down the boys staircase looking slightly disheveled with his glasses slightly crooked on his nose and his hair in its typical messy disarray. "Shall we Evans?" James said sticking his elbow out to escort the Head girl out to the lake. Taking his arm hesitantly she giggled as he lead her through the portrait all and out to the grounds. As they got closer to their friends James started to notice Lily getting a little nervous and decided to let his arm drop giving her the space she was probably wanting. Disappointment hit Lily watching James pull away, but knew it was for the best, if their friends had seen them they would jump to conclusions instead of seeing that the two Head students were just doing their best to get along. "Evans! Potter! Where have you two been off? Not anything too scandalous I hope, heavens knows Peter's young ears could handle anything too naughty." Sirius was flashing his devilish smile towards the two head students who were now approaching the gang of 7th years. "Shut up Sirius despite your beliefs we aren't all as sick and twisted as you are!" James called back plopping down next to Remus and sprawling out in the sunlight. Alice, Frank, and Peter were dipping their toes in the water while Marlene was sitting next to Sirius watching her friend sit down next to the boy she apparently loathed. "Its beautiful today isn't it?" Alice said flicking the water with her toes. It was a beautiful day especially with fall approaching it was unusual for the summer sun to stick around in time for school to begin. The gang hung around outside most of the day taking in as much sunlight and free time as they could before the strains of the NEWT classes began to take a toll. Walking around the lake and the occasional water fight filled their day as discussions of the future and what was to come left their minds for an afternoon spent in company of their best friends. Finishing dinner that night the group trekked up the stairs to the tower fully exhausted and ready for a good nights rest. The girls retreated their dormitories right away while the four marauders congregated on the window seats on the far side of the common room. "Lily seems to be warming up to you a bit didn't she?" Peter said looking enthusiastically at his friend. "I hope so… but I can never be sure with that girl" James said leaning back and throwing his legs up reflecting on how many times their hands brushed or he caught her stealing glances his way. The memories of the day spent by the lake were filling each boys minds particularly one Remus Lupin who knew too well that days like these were numbered. /span/p 


	11. Chapter 10: Quidditch Game & Close calls

The beginning weeks of the school year passed by brining a little more stress with each day along with a little heavier load of homework to be finished. For Lily Evans that meant balancing her studies with Head Girl duties and working along side James despite the fact she had yet to fully understand what was happening between the two of them. The space between the two seemed to slowly be shrinking, during weekly patrols their hands would brush, while James would find ways to get her alone just for a chance to be closer to her. By mid October the tasks seemed completely overwhelming and therefore gladly welcomed the first Gryffindor Quidditch match of the year. As Lily made her way into the Great Hall for breakfast alongside Alice she saw James surrounded by his teammates most likely planning for the match ahead. The sight of the Quidditch captain had made Lily's heart race thinking of the last few weeks spent in a sort of building tension that lead her to lay awake at night secretly thinking of the messy haired boy, her train of thought was broken as the girls sat down next to Remus and Peter. "How do you think they'll do?" Alice asked turning to Peter who had been to every practice this year. "Oh they are all brilliant I'm not even slightly worried, Ravenclaw is good but wont be able to keep up with the Chasers quick play… that and Marlene had been wicked fast to get the snitch" he concluded shoving a pancake into his mouth.

Standing up and leading his team out of the castle and down towards the locker rooms James Potter stood tall and focused with Sirius at his side. The team was made up of the three 7th years, a sixth year named Harlow Carringotn who played Chaser with James, Tess Phillips was the third Chaser who along with the other Beater Nicholas Barnes were in their fifth year. Finally their Keeper who was the youngest on the team as a fourth year, Tucker Ames rivaled Marlene on quickness and for the last two years kept almost anything out of the hoop. He knew they were good enough to win, but this was his last year to leave a legacy at Hogwarts and the fear at failing their 7th year at winning the Quidditch championship and House Cup would haunt him forever. Once inside the locker rooms the team dressed in Maroon robes strapped their pads on while James gave his first speech of the year. "Listen guys, this is the first game of the year and we're going up against a good opponent, despite how well practices have been going we all know matches are an entirely different world. We have worked hard and done everything we can to prepare for this match so lets put everything else out of their minds and go out there and take the win we know we deserve." There were whoops and "lets do this!" from a couple people before huddling together and stepping out onto the field. Walking to the center James shook the Ravenclaw captains hand and took his place besides his teammates and at the whistle kicked off the ground taking flight.

Marlene had kicked off the ground and shot towards the sky reaching high enough to get a good view of the field. She had done her best to push the fact that there were professional scouts present out of her mind, but nerves seemed more apparent then usual. Watching James, Tess, and Harlow weave between the Ravenclaw players James thew the Quaffle towards the hoop but the Keeper kicked it out, luckily Tess had been expecting that catching it and throwing it straight into the hoop making the first goal of the game. Scanning the field seeing Sirius hacking a blunger straight towards the Ravenclaw Chaser that was headed for the Gryffindor hoops he swerved to avoid it letting the Quaffle slip as Harlow flew right below him catching the ball. The second goal for Gryffindor was not far behind, letting Marlene know her team could create a lead so she could look for the snitch. Scanning the field once more her eyes caught a glare of something in the corner of field, circling around the field as to not create any suspicion from the other seeker she approached the area above the glare to see the snitch shooting around the base of the Ravenclaw hoops. Diving quickly she plummeted towards the ground as she heard gasps from he crowd more than likely astonished she could see the snitch that quickly. Pulling up on her broom hard only feet above the ground she reached out grazing the tips of the snitches wings. Suddenly the newly acquired Ravenclaw seeker swooped down but instead of heading for the snitch, was headed for Marlene. A rush of anxiety filled Marlene as she saw the large sixth year coming right at her… they were still a few feet off the ground surly the weight of the boy would squish her to bits. Meanwhile on his way back from the fifth Gryffindor goal James attention was stole by the sight below him. Marlene was inches from the snitch and it was apparent Brain Todd, the new seeker was going straight for Marlene. Without thinking he dove leaving his Chasers to hold off Ravenclaw. Diving down behind Todd he pushed his speed faster and faster and as Todd made his move for Marlene leaping off his broom. Marlene closed her eyes awaiting the impact of the seeker but the moment never came. Unsure of where he went she re-focused herself on the snitch following it closer to the ground she jumped from her own broom squeezing her fingers around the snitch before tumbling to the ground. Roars of cheers erupted from the stands as Marlene stood holding the snitch in the air, but turning to find her teammates she was suddenly confused to see Brian and James both laying on the ground not moving. A sudden rush of fear filled her thinking of what could have happened to leave them that inured. Running towards her captain she collapsed next to him "James what the bloody hell happened?! Are you okay?" James looked up giving her a smile to hide the pain he was currently in. "I saw that prat Brian Todd going for you so when he jumped I jumped and tackled him to the ground. Only problem is the boy is OW- twice my size I think he may have broken my OW- ribs" Marlene had been unstrapping his pads to inspecting what was wrong. Her captain was covered in blood and it was obvious a black eye was quickly beginning to swell. "James you Prat! I can handle myself you can't go killing yourself just for a damn win!" "The win… Marlene did we win?!" "Yes you idiot we won… 200 - 0" She said looking up checking the score. Suddenly a flash of Red hair tumbled to the ground throwing herself next to James. Tears streaking down her face Marlene was not only confused but now completely amused at Lilys obvious distress for Potter. "Lily… I OW- please don't touch that… I- I will be okay… I OW- Marlene DAMN YOU!" Marlene had just unbuckled the last of James chest pad as Madam Pomfrey arrived. Looking him over for a moment she announced what James had suspected "Looks like a few broke ribs… I will have him mended in no time come with me Potter." Using a floting gurney she lead James up to the castle and into the hospital wing with Lily refusing to leave his side. Madam Pomfrey made her wait behind a curtain while she got James into some hospital dressings and performed a healing spell. James was told he would have to spend the night in the hospital wing and would be very sore for a few days. Removing the curtain James saw Lily who had obviously been crying, "Hey Evans… fancy seeing you here" he joked hoping to make her relax. Siting in the chair next to him she looked angry and relieved but it disappeared as James reached up brushing the last of her tears from her cheeks. "You scared me Potter…" She whispered letting his fingers linger on her skin. "I'm sorry Evans… I figured you'd be happy to have me out of your hair once and for all." He laughed for a second before clinching his side in pain "Bloody hell that hurts…" he said putting his back into the pillow. Lily grabbed his hand looking at him and refusing to look away, slowly she moved from her chair to the edge of the bed with James starring at her in confusion… leaning down she let her lips rest on his, feeling him kiss her back he moved his hand to her back attempting to pull her closer, but just as quickly as it started she pulled away suddenly standing up and walking away. "Lily… what Lil come back… Evans!" confused and frustrated at what he did wrong he threw his wrist guard across the room yelling a word he was sure his mother would not approve of. James waited for Lily to return that night, the Marauders visited shortly after her departure talking about how everyone thought James was a hero for saving Syb… but he didn't really care. All James could think about was why Lily walked away and why she hadn't returned. As James was about to turn in for the night feeling disappointed he heard the door to the infirmary open and small footsteps walking letting his heart race a bit until Marlene appeared around his curtain. "Hey Potter" she said hopping onto the foot of his bed reaching for a box of jelly slugs someone had sent him for his recovery. "Hey Syb… how are you doing? Did you talk to the scout today?" "Yep… they were from Ballycastle which would be brilliant but… I don't know I guess the idea of being on an all girls team like Holyhead would be what I really want." James was slightly jealous Marlene could go after a dream like this and couldn't imagine being disappointed the second best team in the league was interested in him. "Yeah Syb that would be brilliant but its incredible you have a chance like this… If this war wasn't going on…" James let himself imagine what life would be like in a war-free world. "James I wanted to thank you for saving me from Todd today… I was really scared and so confused when I didn't get hit, but when I saw you laying there… I thought you were a goner Potter." "No need to apologize Syb I did what I could to watch your back just like you watch ours every day." Marlene gave a weak smile making James question if that's all she came to say. "Whats on your mind? You're not the same Marlene" James asked attempting to sit up pushing another pillow behind his head. "It's nothing… actually… well its stupid. You know you're like a brother to me and so when I saw you hurt I was terrified and worried and then when Lily came running to your aid I thought it was sweet because whether she admits it or not she obviously cares for you and I guess it just reminded me that I don't have anyone like that for me." Marlene was pulling at a loose thread in the scratchy hospital blanket she was sitting on after she finished talking awaiting James to undoubtedly tell her she was being stupid. "By someone you mean Sirius?" James said being one of the few had caught onto his little friends shameless crush on his best mate. "How did you know?" "Marlene I watch you during practice… there is a reason you're so fearless and its because you want to show Sirius you're just as reckless as him, just in a different way." "Does he know?" She was now nervous she had let her crush become to obvious. "No he is far to clueless to notice things like that… but if you would like I can mention something to him. I wont tell him you like him… just point you out, sometimes us guys need a good shove in the right direction" James finished winking at his friend. "Oh James would you? I know nothing may come of it but I would like a chance to have someone who looks at me like you and Lily secretly look at each other." Marlene have a knowing smile towards her team captain. "Speaking of Lily… has she said anything to you?" James was shameless just wanting some sort of answer to tide him over until tomorrow morning when he could rightfully track her down. "Lily is one of the most caring people I know James… whatever hesitancy she if feeling has nothing to do with yourself… I think she is more worried about ruining something." James nodded excepting the fairly worthless piece of information but grateful regardless because even that was better than nothing.


	12. Chapter 11: This is it

The next morning Lily woke up much later than usual seeing the clock showed it was nearing 10 o'clock. Not feeling like breakfast she showered and dressed in a sweater and scarf heading out to the grounds for some fresh air. The previous day had shaken her seeing James laying motionless on the Quidditch pitch and then kissing him a short time later. She was falling for James there was no denying it now, but in a few short months she would leave Hogwarts forever and walk into a world that hunted people like her, wouldn't she only be torturing herself with thoughts of what might have been? Continuing the inner battle Lily headed across the dew covered grass toward the lake. Watching her breath form in the chilly fall air she let herself relax, more than anything she wanted to at least pursue the option of being with James but if she really cared for him could she put him in danger? Each day the Daily Prophet was filled with stories of Death Eaters killing Muggle Borns and their loved ones who tried to protected them. Lily was brave and knew she would face whatever lay in-front of her, but she couldn't ask James to sign up to put himself in danger for her. Hanging her head in defeat she decided to carry on as normal and hope to let any unspoken words remain unspoken. Fortunately for Lily, James was not release from the hospital wing until later that evening after dinner had wrapped up and most students had retreated to the comfort of their dormitories to finish any homework that had been procrastinated until that point. As he made his way through the portrait hall he saw only one person in the common room and it was the one person he had been wishing to see since she stormed out of the infirmary a little over 24 hours ago. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes" he said a little bitter that she had left him stranded without so much as an explanation. "James… I… I thought you'd be up in your room resting, I'm sorry I'll go" Lily said grabbing her books wanting to hide as to avoid talking about what was sure to be on James mind. "We need to talk" he said blocking her path to the staircase forcing her to take a seat next to him on the couch. "James I really don't feel like talking I-" "Save it Evans you owe me, you cant leave me like that… after you - well you kissed me and then left without explaining what I did that was so wrong!" James was exasperated, he was desperate just to have her. "James what I did in the hospital wing… it was a mistake I'm sorry I shouldn't have done it" Lily said looking firmly at the ground not wanting him to see the tears that welled up in her eyes as she spoke. "Mistake my arse Evans have you even been here the last couple weeks? Or had some foreign alien taken over your body? We have something and I don't see how the idea of being with me would be so horrible you have to run from it like a coward." Lily's tears dried up, quickly being replaced by an angry fire that could only be ignited by James Potter. "A coward? Is that what you think I am? I am RUNNING from you? No James you big headed cow I am SAVING you!" "Is that what you think you're doing? In case you haven't noticed Lily I can take care of myself just fine, I know you doubt it but I can handle whatever you think you're saving me from! Why wont you just let this happen? Let us happen?" James asked trying hard to push the anger out of his voice. "James you don't understand!"

"No you don't understand!" James said cutting her off as he stood to his feet, clenching his hair in frustration. "I've fought for you for years Lily, I have waited and taken shit for it, I cant let go now I've fought for you too hard and for too long to let you take this from me, especially not when we are this damn close." Lily rose suddenly forcing James to look at her in the eyes. "They are after people like me you idiot! Voldemort wants to KILL me because of something I had no control over! You are safe, you have a family blood line people accpet! Why would you want to put yourself in danger for a girl? You have half the school in love with you go for one of them! Go for someone who won't be hunted down and killed after graduation!" She pushed James aside thundering toward the stairs when James firm grip caught Lilys arm and spun her around so fast her head began spinning. "Don't act like I don't give a damn about you Evans! I've chased you for years and you're going to act like I could give rats ass if I end up with someone with your BLOOD? Damn you Evans! I love you, look me in the eyes and tell me you don't feel this? You don't feel like we've been headed straight for each other for years, all that fighting and frustration? And now here we are and were crashing into each other" James expression remained harsh refusing to loosen his grip on the Head Girl. "James… We aren't being smart we aren't thinking this through were letting our emotions cloud our judgment" Lily wasn't about to back down to the boy. "For once in your bloody life stop thinking with your head and do what you actually want Evans. Happy Endings don't exist, there are happy beginning , and happy middles, but endings? endings are the worst part. We're all going to die Evans so you may as well die happy: happy with me." James tone had softened along with his grip. Her heart skipped a beat and the walls she had cemented into place crumbled away as tears slipped from her eyes returning the stare from the young Potter. James hands found their ways to the small of Lilys back pulling her into a kiss as Lily returned it, this time not forcing herself to run away. Tears continued to stream from her eyes but little interrupted the two students, their lips parted for only a moment before continuing this time stumbling into the wall. James pressed his body against hers, bracing his hand against the cold stone call behind her. His lips grazed her neck as a soft moan escaped her, her hands found their way to to his neck letting her fingers run through the back of his hair. Feeling the weight of James body against her allowed shivers of electricity to run freely throughout her body. The thoughts of foregoing a relationship were far from her mind now as she felt his hand cup her face, parting their lips so their eyes could meet. "Lily tell me this is real, tell me this isn't some extraordinary dream I'll wake up from in the morning." A blush formed across her cheeks and Lily felt lucky the dim lighting in the empty common room concealed most of it, "I think this is as real as it get Potter" she said nuzzling her head into his chest. Jame let his chin rest onto of her head as the worries of the world melted away for a moment and time stood still as James finally won Lily Evans.


	13. Chapter 12: Secrets Out

Awoken the next morning by an aching at his ribs James swung his legs around his bed trying hard to move as little as possible. His mind started to retrace the events of last night: the common room, the fight, the kiss, Lily, it all came back as James broke out in a shameless smile. For years all James could think about was sharing a moment like the one from last night with the red headed girl. Sitting on his bed as his roommates slowly awoke for the day of classes that lie ahead James got ready much slower than usual realizing his ribs were far from healed. He didn't share his exciting new with any of his friends despite the fact he was practically bursting inside, instead he gloried in the fact it was their little secret for the time being. Descending the staircase into the common room that morning the four boys spotted their girl counterparts standing by the portrait hall whispering about something. "Good morning gals!" "Any exciting new you'd like to share with us?" Sirius said announcing their arrival. "Sirius can I talk to you for a second?" Lily said stepping aside so the rest of the group could ahead out to breakfast. James looked at Lily with questioning eyes wondering what she could possibly have to say that didn't include the events from last night "yeah uh- sure" Sirius said equally confused. The rest of the group departed leaving the dark haired boy with his Head Girl. "Professor McGonagall came to me this morning… it would appear a group of Slytherin students left Hogwarts last night and are believed to have joined the ranks of the death eaters." "Oh Lil if this is about bella you know I've suspected her for awhile now its not much of a-" "Sirius although Bella was among the group its not her I was worried about its… well its Regulus." Lily looked into his eyes waiting for him to start yelling or screaming at her telling her she had been mis-informed. She wished she had been, she kept asking her professor if this was some sort of mistake, but at least she was left to inform one of her best friends his only brother, the brother he spent years trying to keep out of trouble had ended up joining the ranks of the darkest wizard this world had seen. "Lily… how… he couldn't have… I know Reg, hes misguided sure but he isn't a KILLER he wont be able to…" "Sirius, Professor McGonagall said she was positive it was Regulus, she saw the group leaving and it was he who left a notes… a note for you." Sirius looked into his friends outstretched hand to see a small piece of parchment with his name written in his brothers hand writing. He sat down looking down at the note unfolding it.

Dear Sirius,

I know you'll be mad at me. I'm sorry but I really have no choice. The Dark Loard is rising and I hope in time you'll come to your senses and join me on the proper side. Regardless know I love you and always admired you for being brave enough to do what you thought was right.

Wishing you all the best,

REG.

Crumpling the paper and attempting to throw it in the fire but watching it lands a few feet away on the floor. Lily walked over bending down to grab the note before straightening it out, folding it nicely, and handing it back to her friend. "He meant a lot to you Sirius… don' t throw him out because he made a wrong choice." Her words were true although painful that he would now have to live with the fact every Death Eater attack that was reported would somehow be linked to his kid brother who despite his best efforts had ended up on the wrong side of the tracks.

James who upon hearing the news punched a wall was now nursing his hand while trying to eat a stack of pancakes when Lily and Sirius arrived in the Great Hall. Sirius sat down on one side of James while Lily took the other sliding a hand onto his leg under the table as they aired a quick look of sympathy before diving into their breakfast. The post arrived on cue and with no one in the mood to read of more attacks the group got up to shuffle off to their classes. James and Lily hung behind the group as they made their way down to the dungeons for Potions letting their hands brush sending sparks to their stomachs. "Have you told anyone?" James questioned looking for some guidance on how to handle the next few days. "No… it was late when I got back to the dormitory both girls were already asleep and… I wasn't sure if you wanted to tell anyone yet…" "I do want to tell people, heck I'd like to scream it from the conservatory tower… but maybe we let it be our little secret for a few days until we get use to things? I mean sneaking around seems like a bit of fun doesn't it?" Jame said flashing an enchanting smile at his new found girlfriend.

As it would happen keeping a secret relationship was much more fun than either of the two students had anticipated. Lily became very familiar James Invisibility cloak and hidden passageways, specifically the ones leading to no where. After classes, before dinner, and during very quiet hours of the night after their friends had gone to bed Lily and James could be found snogging in some dark forgotten corner of the castle enjoying their shared secrets. As sneaky as they had thought they had been however, suspicion started to creep into the minds of their friends and one Friday night in November the Marauders decided to take matters into their own hands. "How do we know when to leave Padfoot?" Wormtail said whispering into the dark room. "We just watch and once they leave we follow them its that simple Wormy" Sirius replied. Sitting on his bed with Remus and Peter on either side of him watching the Marauders Map watching the two names "Lily Evans" and "James Potter" make a move. "I still think we should let them tell us themselves" Remus argued but neither friend bothered to respond. After twenty minutes or so the two naps moved from the couch infront of the fireplace, out the portrait all, and down the corridor towards the humped witched. "Hey! Wake up their moving!" Sirius said nudging his friends who were dozing off. "Lets go!" he continued jumping from his bed. "But we don't have the cloak… what if someone comes?" Peter was suddenly very unsure of the idea. "Wormtail stop worrying we know this castle better than anyone, if someone comes we hide, if you're that worried just come as a rat" Sirius said putting his bed robes on over a worn t-shirt and pajama bottoms. Peter transformed into a rat and ran to the foot of Remus knowing he would carry him much more carefully than Sirius would. Slipping the chubby rat into his pocket the two boys and rat made their way to the portrait hall following James on the map. "He went into the witches hump" Remus said updating Sirius on the status of their friend. "Great, lets slip through the shortcut behind the tapestry just to be safe." Making their way to the humped witch proved to be no problem at all and before long Sirius was taping on the back of the hump whispering the password to revel an opening to the passageway their friend was sure to be behind. As Remus made his way in after Sirius he removed Peter still in rat form from his pocket putting him on the floor so he could scurry ahead to find their preoccupied friend.

Meanwhile further down the hidden passeway a very distracted James Potter was in the arms of his girlfriend midway though a passionate exchange. Kissing his neck James leaned against the wall for support as his hands found their way to Lilys tight bum "James…" she gasped as she moved her fingers to intertwine with his hair. He began to kiss her lips moving her hips closer to him leaving very little between the two. Suddenly he felt something clamor onto his foot and then scratch at his leg. Breaking the kiss he looked down as Lily let out a short scream before James lit the passageway with his wand seeing a very familiar fat rat at his feet. Picking it up to look at it his stomach sank "James! That is disgusting put it down!" she was obviously not a fan of rats. "Damn it Wormtail how did you find us? Are the other two here?" There was a sneaking in return as Lily was suddenly very confused why her boyfriend was talking to a Rat. "James what in the world have you gone looney?" she said trying to get some sort of explanation for the strange scene. "It looks like our secret is no longer our secret love, Mooney… Padfoot come out you daft nifflers!" Suddenly the two boys come from the shadows both red from laughing so hard at the sight of their friend right near shagging Lily Evans. "Really Prongs? Couldn't give us a little update as to where you had been sneaking off too?" Sirius said still trying hard not to laugh. "I'm sorry Prongs I really did try to talk them out of this one, but Padfoot was… well you know" Remus explained as he bent down to pick up the rat again off the dirt floor. "What did you find us?" Lily was still standing besides James looking both confused and violated. "That is something you don't need to worry about doll, just know we all have suspected you for quite some time… just needed to see if with our own eyes" Sirius was obviously very proud his instincts had been correct. "I think its time we take our leave Padfoot, Prongs… Lily… Have a good rest of your night we will see you in the morning" Remus said grabbing his friends shoulder with one had with the rat in the other and lead them down the dark corridor towards the castle. As the sound of their footsteps disappear into the darkness James braced himself for what was sure to come. "Lily… I'm so sorry! I swear I didn't know they would find us I-" "James stop its fine its just… well it was kind of hot keeping a secret for awhile wasn't it?" her wards surprised him but he understood. "Also… what was with the rat?" she finished. Running his fingers through his hair thinking quickly as to how to cover up the secret behind their illegal animgus status "Its one of Sirius's pets that Remus has ended up taking care of… you know him always finding stray things and taking them in." It wasn't a lie Sirius was always finding stay ferrets or owls and took them in, the only part of the lie was that he took in the rat. Lily seemed to accept this because she didn't ask any further questions as they made their way back to the opening of the secret passageway slipping the invisibility cloak on and made their way back to the Common Room. "I guess this means I should tell the girls if thats alright with you?" She asked when they made it to the foot of the girls dormotories. "Of course you can, I'm excited to have it out in the open… maybe now I can hold your hand on the way to class" James said as his arms wrapped around her waist. "Maybe you can Mr. Potter… but for now I think we should find our way back to our respective dormitories." With a hug and a quick kiss the two Head students made their way back to their beds ready to face tomorrow side by side.


End file.
